I waited another 10 min's afraid of doing anything that might provoke it and finally had to unload 3 in a tree next to me to scare it off.

I'd be careful shooting your gun in rounds of 3. 3 signals of any kind including gunshots is known as a sign of distress. If people were in the area, they might have come running thinking you were hurt or something.

All creation declares the beauty and majesty of the Lord God Almighty.

"In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him... come let us bow down in worship... for he is our God." Psalm 95:5-7

Considering how far apart the eyes were it was probably a deer or elk.. Possibly a cow but most likely an elk. You can tell alot from the sounds that it was making while you were moving. If they sounded more like a bunch of twigs were breaking it probably had a larger foot such as a mountain lion or a bear. But if it sounded more "careful" then it is more like a deer. Also with how you said it was just starring at you it sounds more like an elk.

Do what you like. Like what you do. Optimism can take you anywhere.

You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again... So why bother in the first place? Just this, what is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen.There is an art to conducting oneself in the lower region by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can see no longer, one can at least know.Rene Daumal

When I was on Holy Cross three weeks ago, we saw large elk prints in the fresh snow way above tree line, not too far below the summit. Descending on Halo Ridge, we heard one bugling, although we couldn't see it. So elk are up there, all right.

I have to giggle thinking that somewhere an elk or deer is asking friends, "What was that creature I saw with the bright light on it's head?"

Mountains cast spells on me - Why, because of the way Earth-heaps lie, should I be Chocked by joy mysteriously; stilled or drunken-gay? Why should a brown hill trail Tug at my feet to go? Why should a boggy swale Tune my heart to a nameless tale Mountain marshes know? --- Belle Turnbull ("Mountain-Mad")

"Nothing is so embarrassing as watching someone do something that you said couldn't be done." ---Sam Ewing

I would say deer,cow or bear not elk, they don't just stand and let you walk by them during the time of year that peolple are shooting at them, they are to smart ,accept in winter park maybe, you said 20 to 30 yards off trail and away from you tells me brave and or dumb animal, not elk OH AND I FIRED 3 SHOTS CAUSE, I WAS IN DISTRESS!!! THE BEAR WAS EITHER GONNA RUN AWAY OR TOWARDS ME AND IT OBVIOUSLY WASN'T AFRAID OF ME SO FAR , VERY VERY DISTRESSFUL

you saw a cow!!! blue eye shine plus height, plus dumb stare and not moving. and yeah i see cows in wilderness type areas all the time, its called open range! thats why they have cattle guards on alot of mountain roads. i have never been to this mountain, but i have been all over colorado!

also some helpful info from google research:i was looking all over for this info and finally concluded that; mountain lions have goldish green eyeshine and bears have red eyeshine,dogs and coyotes are gold/greenish, deer are whitish, owls are red/orange, cows and horses are blue, sheep and goats are blue/green, bighorn sheep are sage green,frogs are green, and spiders are silver.humans dont have eyeshine, but red eye from a camera flash is only from an upclose and bright flash reflecting off the blood vessels in our eyes, but we dont have reflectors or Tapetum lucidum which helps animals see in the dark.interesting stuff!!!

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy course; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat." (Theodore Roosevelt)

"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit." (Edward Abbey)